North Korea: New ICBM Can Hit Anywhere in the US

Pyongyang says it has successfully launched a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile called Hwasong-15. South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said North Korea might complete its nuclear program by next year

North Korea has launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from a launch site in Sain Ni. According to the US Department of Defense, the missile traveled about 1,000 kilometers before hitting the Sea of Japan, within Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Pyongyang announced the launch was the first test of the Hwasong-15 ICBM. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claimed his regime’s missile launch showed it could strike any point in the continental United States with a nuclear weapon.

"After North Korea missile launch, it's more important than ever to fund our gov't & military! Dems shouldn't hold troop funding hostage for amnesty & illegal immigration. I ran on stopping illegal immigration and won big. They can't now threaten a shutdown to get their demands," US President Donald Trump tweeted after the launch.

South Korea's military said the missile was fired from an area north of Pyongyang early Wednesday local time. According to Yonhap News, this is the North's first ballistic missile launch since September 15, 2017, when it fired an intermediate-range missile over Japan.

A Japanese government source said on Tuesday that his country had detected radio signals suggesting North Korea may be preparing another ballistic missile launch, Reuters reported.

South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said on Tuesday that North Korea might complete its nuclear program by next year. "They have been developing their nuclear capabilities faster than expected," Cho said. "We cannot rule out the possibility of North Korea declaring the completion of their nuclear program in 2018."